COLLEGE BASKETBALL: LBSU wakes up just in time

LONG BEACH - When word came before the start of the Long Beach State-UC Davis Big West Conference men's basketball game Wednesday that Aggies hot-shooting guard Ryan Sypkens was not going to play because of flu-like symptons, it appeared the 49ers might have an easier time getting a victory.

Well, not a lot has come easy for Long Beach this season. And this was no different. But after sleep-walking through the first half, the 49ers overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to come away with a 71-65 victory before 2,808 at Walter Pyramid.

It was the 26th consecutive conference home victory for the first-place 49ers (17-9, 13-2) in their final conference home game of the season. The win also means junior college transfers, seniors James Ennis and Peter Pappageorge, never lost a Big West home game.

They can thank the likes of midseason transfers Keala King and Tony Freeland for that. King played perhaps his best game since becoming eligible for conference play. He scored a season-high 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting. Freeland had 18 points and six rebounds and Ennis scored 15, two on a reverse two-handed slam for the 49ers' final points with 15.8 seconds to play.

Also, Dan Jennings only scored four points, but he pulled down 11 rebounds for Long Beach.

The game was tied 57-57 with 4:36 to play. The 49ers scored the next five points on a layup by Freeland, a layup by King and one of two free throws by Freeland for a 62-57 Long Beach lead with 1:08 to play. The Aggies (11-14, 7-7) hung in there and trailed just 64-61 with 49.7 seconds left.

Two free throws by King upped the lead to 66-61. Freeland made a free throw and missed the second, but Long Beach got the rebound and Freeland made a basket for a 69-61 advantage with 30 seconds left, and that was all she wrote.

Afterward, coach Dan Monson talked about the rigorous practice and class schedule his team is currently in, but he said he didn't want to use that as an excuse for its slow play in the first half.

"It just didn't seem like we had a lot of life early," he said. "We didn't have a lot of energy and this is not a team not to have that (against). But as the mark of a good team, the second half they (his players) dictated that end of the floor.

"To hold them without a 3-pointer in the second half after what they did in the first half ... I thought the second half our energy improved and we were able to pull it out."

The Aggies made 8 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half, Corey Hawkins making four and Tyler Les three. But they never made another 3-pointer, thanks to much better defense, missing all five in the second half.

Hawkins, who leads the conference in scoring, finished with 21 points and J.T. Adenrele had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

At halftime, Monson said he pointed out to his team that it would not be cool for Ennis and Pappageorge to lose their final Big West home game.